Shower curtain hanger device

ABSTRACT

A hanger device adapted for mounting over an elongated rod member to suspend and hang a sheet of material therefrom, the hanger device comprising: 
     (a) a body potion of a springable resilient material having a generally circular configuration and having an open portion sufficient in size to encircle a portion of the rod member when the hanger is coupled over the rod member and wherein the body portion has a first end, a top circular portion and a second end; 
     (b) an ornamental decorative body has an ornamental exterior and the back has a recessed area where the second end of the body portion is fitted; 
     whereby the first end of the body portion of the hanger is passed through an opening in the sheet material and the hanger device is positioned onto the rod member allowing the sheet material to be held in place and drape from the rod member.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a hanger device in particular a hanger devicefor a shower curtain for a shower enclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a typical bathroom having a bathtub shower, the bathtub shower isenclosed with three walls with the fourth side being open to allow forentering and exiting the bathtub shower. A shower nozzle is placed abovethe tub on one side of the enclosure. Typically, a shower curtain ishung on a rod over the open side to prevent water from splashing intothe bathroom while the shower is in use.

A wide variety of hanger devices have been used to hang the showercurtain on the rod and each of these devices has its own problems. U.S.Pat. Nos. 4,308,637, 4,750,243 and 5,367,742 show shower curtain hangershaving different closing mechanisms which are not decorative and can bedifficult to open once snapped in place to hold the shower curtain.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,339,884 and 7,296,609 show other hanging devices forshower curtains. U.S. 2007/0277355 shows a decorative hanger devicewhich is not simple to install since it requires the attachment of asecond decorative element.

There is a need for a simple decorative hanging device that can beeasily attached to a shower curtain and installed on a shower curtainrod as provided herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A hanger device adapted to be mounted over an elongated rod member andadapted to suspend and hang a sheet of material from the rod member, thehanger device comprising:

(a) a body potion of a springable resilient material having a generallycircular configuration and having an open portion where the open portionis smaller than the diameter of the rod member to fit onto the rodmember and having an inside diameter sufficient in size to encircle aportion of the rod member when the hanger is coupled over the rod memberwhen the rod member is suspended in a horizontal position and whereinthe body portion having a first end, a top circular portion and a secondend;

(b) an ornamental decorative body having a front and back; wherein thefront has an ornamental exterior and the back has a recessed areawherein the second end of the body portion being fitted into andattached to the recessed area of the decorative body;

whereby the first end of the body portion of the hanger is passedthrough an opening in the sheet material and held on the body portion ofthe hanger device by the ornamental decorative body and whereby thehanger device is positioned onto the rod member thereby allowing thesheet material to be held in place and drape from the rod member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hanger device.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the hanger device.

FIG. 3 is side view of the hanger device.

FIG. 4 is a cross section view of the hanger device taken along sectionA-A′ of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the hanger device being position on ahanger rod.

FIG. 6 is a partial front perspective view of the hanger devicepositioned on a rod holding a shower curtain.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The hanger device has the advantage that it can be easily threaded orpassed through an opening in a shower curtain and clipped onto ahorizontally suspended shower curtain rod. Typically, the hanger deviceis passed through the opening in the shower curtain and clipped onto theshower curtain rod and then the second, third and the like hangerdevices are each added and each hung on the shower curtain rod as aboveuntil the curtain is completely hung. The shower curtain hangs over thea bathtub or shower area to form a shower enclosure.

The body portion of the hanger device preferably is made of a springsteel metal rod of a material, such as stainless steel, chrome coatedsteel, steel/brass/chrome, and the like. The hanger device can also bemade of a rigid polymeric material but having spring like properties,such as including but are not limited to, polypropylene, high densitypolyethylene, polyolefin plastomers, enhanced polyethylene, ethylenevinyl acetate copolymers, ionomers, polyamides, such as nylon 6,6, nylon6, nylon 12 and the like; polyesters, such as, poly(ethyleneterephthalate), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), and poly(vinylidenechloride) (PVDC).

The ornamental decorative body of the hanger device preferably is athermoplastic or thermosetting plastic material. An ornamental ordecorative design can be impressed or molded into outer surface of thedecorative body. Any of the aforementioned polymeric materials can beused to form the decorative body.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the hanger device. The hanger device1 comprises the body portion 2 that is attached to the ornamentaldecorative body 3. The outer surface of the ornamental decorative body 3can have an ornamental design impressed or molded into its surface orthe surface can be plain.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the hanger device 1 having the body portion 2attached to the ornamental decorative body 3. A cross section view alongA-A′ is shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the hanger device 1. The body portion 2 hasa generally circular configuration with an opening portion. The insidediameter 5 of the circular configuration of the body portion 2 issufficient in size to encircle the rod member that holds the showercurtain as shown in FIG. 5. The opening 4 in the body portion 2 issmaller than the diameter of the rod member thereby when the bodyportion 2 of the hanger device 1 is coupled or snapped in place on therod member the hanger device 1 will remain in place holding the showercurtain as shown in FIG. 6. The body portion 2 has a first end 2A, a topcircular portion 2B and a second end 2C. The second end 2C of the bodyportion 2 is fit into the circular protruding area 6 positioned on theback side of the decorative body 3. The protruding area 6 can bethreaded or the second end 2C of the body portion 2 can be force fittedor glued into the protruding area 6.

FIG. 4 is a cross section view of the hanger device 1 taken along A-A′of FIG. 2. The body portion 2 of the hanger device 1 is inserted intothe protruding area 6 attached to the back side of the ornamentaldecorative body 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the hanger device 1 being positionedover a hanger rod 7 shown as a cross section. As shown in FIG. 3, theopening in the body portion 2 of the hanger device 1 is smaller that thediameter of the rod 7 and the inside diameter of the of the circularsection of the body portion 2 of the hanger device 1 is essentially thatof the exterior diameter of the rod 7 such that the hanger device can becoupled over the rod 7 and held thereon. The body portion 2 of thehanger device 1 is positioned in the protruding area 6 of the ornamentaldecorative body 3.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of four of the hanger devices 1being positioned on rod 7 holding shower curtain 8. The first end of thebody portion of the hanger device is passed through the opening 9 of theshower curtain 8 and then the hanger device 1 is position on the rod 7.The ornamental decorative body 3 holds the shower curtain 8 in place onthe rod 7.

The above is directed to preferred embodiments of the invention. Thefollow claims determine the full scope of the invention

1. A hanger device adapted to be mounted over an elongated rod member and adapted to suspend and hang a sheet of material from the rod member, the hanger device comprising: (a) a body potion of a springable resilient material having a generally circular configuration and having an open portion where the open portion is smaller than the diameter of the rod member to fit onto the rod member and having an inside diameter sufficient in size to encircle a portion of the rod member when the hanger is coupled over the rod member when the rod member is suspended in a horizontal position and wherein the body portion having a first end, a top circular portion and a second end; (b) an ornamental decorative body having a front and back; wherein the front has an ornamental exterior and the back has a recessed area wherein the second end of the body portion being fitted into and attached to the recessed area of the decorative body; whereby the first end of the body portion of the hanger is passed through an opening in the sheet material and held on the body portion of the hanger device by the ornamental decorative body and whereby the hanger device is positioned onto the rod member thereby allowing the sheet material to be held in place and drape from the rod member.
 2. The hanger device of claim 1 wherein the body portion the hanger device is spring steel.
 3. The hanger device of claim 2 wherein the decorative body is a plastic material.
 4. The hanger device of claim 3 wherein the decorative body is in the shape of a block having a decorative front and back.
 5. The hanger device of claim 4 wherein the back of the decorative block comprises a circular protruding area into which the second end of the body portion is fitted.
 6. The hanger device of claim 5 wherein the back of the decorative block comprises a threaded circular protruding area and the second end of the body is threaded and the decorative block is screwed into place on the second end of the body portion.
 7. An assembly comprising a multiplicity of the hanger devices of claim 1 firmly positioned on an elongated rod member having each of the hanger devices passed through an individual opening in a sheet material and the sheet material being held in place by the ornamental body of the hanger device thereby holding the sheet material in place on the rod member and allowing the sheet material to drape from the rod member.
 8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein sheet material comprises a shower curtain.
 9. The assembly of claim 8 enclosing a bathtub thereby forming a shower area. 